nymets86

OK, so it's St. Patty's day and I've gotten plenty of requests to drink.

It keeps amazing me how I can just say "nah, not tonight," and that's the end of it. I know if this were me two months ago trying to rally up the troops (friends and co-workers), I wouldn't take that for an answer. I'm now realizing just how much alcohol was controlling my thoughts and how I didn't want to be perceived as drinking alone.

Additionally, some of my co-workers are talking about and going out for ONE Irish Car Bomb. I know for a fact that if this were a few weeks ago, I'd have jumped at that opportunity and have had no intention of stopping at one.

I'm not even going to allow myself to go to the bar and drink club soda today since it's way to fraught with temptation.

Anyway, just checking in. My AV is trying everything to get me to drink this week. St. Patty's and the March Madness.......

PurpleKnight

Keep pushing through, alcohol doesn't have to be in plan for St Patrick's Day!!

ScottFromWI

Great work NY. It is pretty amazing what a sheltered little world we used to live in - and when you look out and see how many other things there are to do besides drink it really does seem pretty silly in hindsight.

Happy sober St. Patty's day to you and yours.

heartcore

I won't be going to any bars or parties today either. I've learned that there is a ceiling on time spent around other folks drinking for me. I only go to bars and parties if they are work related. I make it through, and feel stronger for it after, but I know that it takes a certain amount of my strength reserves. Each time I have to rebuild that reserve with positive recovery action. St. Patricks day in a bar, sober, would overdraw my strength account...

The other day, a good friend who is also in recovery, leaned in after we'd both had a hard day and said "lets just go get drunk. just one time would feel great. we can come back after and start over." We talked it through, and what it came down to was that feeling of exhaustion at the amount of "work" that recovery is vs. the "ease" of alcohol. For about two minutes after she suggested this, I considered it with every cell in my being. Then I talked her (us) out of it.

The next day she thanked me. "I was close, too," I told her.

I'm in a good place in my recovery. I'm just starting my eighth month. My brain is becoming sharper. I'm not so sleepy, and when I do sleep, my sleep is sound and deep. I have an active social life with sober folks. I love my puppy.

So the impulse to drink doesn't really have to do with trauma or challenge. For me, it is primarily celebratory. Today, in a bar, for me, would be a very dangerous place. So, I will simply not go there. Tah dah!! Problem solved!

It is that easy...

doggonecarl

When drinking, it's easy to imagine everyone does (or should). But once you achieve some measure of sober time, you realize it's not everybody. It's not even that many people who drink.

I don't have to say "no" to St Patrick's Day's drinking invites. It's no longer the world I inhabit. No more drinking friends, no more drinking events. And zero grief over their loss.

Soberwolf

Exellent Nymets

nymets86

Yeah, so the group of co-workers talking about going to the bar for just one have already cancelled the plans.

Again, I know that a few weeks ago, I'd have kept pressing people to go to a bar or finding people to join me. It's interesting observing the behavior of people that don't have a problem. When it no longer became convenient for everyone to meet at a bar, they just agreed not to go drinking tonight and that was it.